I have a Dell XPS M1530 which turns on but not quite.

When I press the power button, the power lights comes on and stays on, but the display fails to come on. I can hear the hard drive running and after it heats up the fans turn on but that's all I am able to get out of it. At first I figured that my display had finally crapped out on me again, but I plugged a VGA cable into it and into an external monitor and I failed to see anything. I know that if your display isn't working your PC will just turn on anyway and you can still control "CAPS" lock and all that stuff, I tried doing all of this and the light wasn't coming on, immediately when I turn on my PC the Bluetooth light also comes on, but not this time.

I decided that there must be some wire loose in the computer, so I took it apart and found a wire which leads into the screen which was worn and cut away due to the rubbing whenever I opened and closed the PC, I traced the cut wire and found that it led to a dead end, it wasn't connected to anything to begin with and even had a factory sleeve on it so I figured it hadn't come loose and was meant to be unplugged.

I am really confused as to what is going on, I can't seem to trace it back to anything but the motherboard, what throws me off even more is how the hard drive and even the automatic fan keeps working but I am not able to get anything else.

I have tried every option, I called Dell and they want me to buy a $400 warranty, I have run out of options, I am grateful for any help.

Thank You

I called Dell and they want me to buy a $400 warranty

That's sad.

Welcome to D-A-L, Jason. Sorry you are having problems. These problems are hard to troubleshoot because they can be caused by a number of different things from a failed power supply, failed CPU, bad RAM, bad graphics card, or the motherboard itself. I always want to know I have good power when troubleshooting hardware issues. Note the PSU must supply +12V, +5V and +3.3V. Fans and drive motors use +12V. At this point, we don't know if your PSU is putting out the other voltages, or if a motherboard component has failed, and the PSU is shutting down when it detects a faulty load. Below is my canned text on testing PSUs.

To properly and conclusively test a power supply unit (PSU), it must be tested under various realistic "loads" then analyzed for excessive ripple and other anomalies. This is done by a qualified technician using an oscilloscope or power analyzer - sophisticated (and expensive) electronic test equipment requiring special training to operate, and a basic knowledge of electronics theory to understand the results. Therefore, conclusively testing a power supply is done in properly equipped electronic repair facilities.

Fortunately, there are other options that are almost as good. I keep a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester in my tool bag when I am "in the field" and don't have a good spare power supply to swap in. While not a certain test, they are better than nothing. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you have a better chance of detecting a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified ATX Form Factor Standard tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, it is not a true load or suitable for conclusive testing.

Note the required voltage tolerance ranges:

NOTE: Disregard the -5VDC reading. It is no longer used.

Swapping in a known good supply is a tried and true method of troubleshooting used for years, even by pros. If you have access to a suitably sized, spare power supply, carefully remove the suspect supply and replace it with the known good one, and see if the problem goes away.

I do not recommend using a multimeter to test power supplies. To do it properly, that is, under a realistic load, the voltages on all the pins must be measured while the PSU is attached to the motherboard and the computer powered on. This requires poking (with some considerable force) two hard and sharp, highly conductive meter probes into the main power connector, deep in the heart of the computer. One tiny slip can destroy the motherboard, and everything plugged into it. It is not worth the risk considering most multimeters, like plug-in testers, do not measure, or reveal any unwanted and potentially disruptive AC components to the DC voltages.

Note the ATX Form Factor standard does not "require" specific color coding for power supply connector wiring. It has recommendations but manufacturers often do not follow them. Sadly, many testing guides or tutorials will refer to wire color only and that can lead to improper testing.

The voltages can be checked in the BIOS Setup Menus of most motherboards but they do not reveal ripple or other anomalies either. And of course, booting into the BIOS Setup Menu requires a working PSU.

As always, before working in the interior of the computer case, take necessary ESD precautions to ensure static buildup in your body does not discharge through and destroy any sensitive devices. Unplug from the wall and touch bare metal of the case before reaching in. And remember, anything that plugs into the wall can kill. Do not open the power supply's case unless you are a qualified electronics technician. There are NO user-serviceable parts inside a power supply. If you do not have a tester or a suitable spare to swap in, take the PSU to a qualified technician for testing.

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to try the following...I hope it works